Aircraft control



Aug, 4, 1931. a. E. GLEESNEF? CONTROL AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 17 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet AMA- N 717R Aug. 4, 193L c.

AIRCRAFT CONTROL Filed Oct. 17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .g mww 35 on one segment Patented Aug. 4, 1931 PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. GLESSNER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON AIRCRAFT CONTROL Application filed October 17, 1328. Serial No. 313,071.

This invention relates generally to aeronautics, and particularly to a special form of control for air crafts, with special referonce to that-type of craft described in my United States Patents numbered 1,546,442

and 1,546,443, dated July 21, 1925.

The main object of this invention is to provide a central control for the various units.

'The second object is to simplify the flying of this type ofcraft.

"The third object is to reduce the number of men required for a crew. V

The fourth object is to increase the pay load by decreasingthe amount of equipment and numberof crew.

These,an d other objects, will become more apparent from the specification following as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

o Figure 1 is a plan of the craft showing its units in a flying position. Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the units in p a take-off or landing position. Figure 4 is a section taken'along theline 4'-4 in Figure 6. Figure is a perspective view showing two planes, one in flight and the other one rising. Figure 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a section taken along the line 7 inFigure 6'. Figure 8 is a perspective view of a control. Figure 9 is an enlarged section through a portion of the central control. Figure 10 is a fragmentary elevation showing the two sets of resilient stops gear taken along the line l0'l0'in Figure 4.

Similar numbers of reference refer to simi'-' lar parts throughout the several Views.

Referringin detail to the drawings there is illustrateda three armed rotatable frame 10 on whose ends are mounted the airplane units 11 provided with the wings 12, elevators l3, rudders 14 and propellers 15 similiar to those in common use;v Each unit 11 is provided withtrunn'ionmountings 16 which are rota ably carried on the support .17 which is secured on the upper side of the frame 10. Under the center of the frame 10 is suspended theships cabin 18, which may also be provided with a propeller19 and rudder 20.

The frame 10 is rotatable with relation to the cabin 18, and this relation is secured by attaching the uprights 21 which project from the top side of the cabin 18 to the under side of the pilot house 22, whose turret 23 is pro- 56 Vided wit-ha plurality of rollers 24 which bear against the circular track 25 within the auxiliary frame 26, which is securely attached to the frame 10. lVithin the turret 23 are the radial arms 27 in which ournal the telescopic sleeves 28, 29, 30 and 31. The sleeve 28 and its attached. parts operates the controls forthe elevator 13. The sleeve 29 operates the controls for the valve 40 which causes the individual airplane units to rotate about its vertical axis, namely the spindle 36. The sleeve 30 controls the starting mechanism (not shown), and the sleeve 31 controls the fuel and ignition of the motor itself. The precise manner of accomplishing all of these objects is shown only diagrammatically in two cases, one in which a push rod 42 is employed for operating the valve .40, and the other in which the cables 54 are employed for operating the elevator, starter and engine controls. 7 Sliding motion is imparted to each sleeve 28 to 31 by means of a bell crank lever 32 which is oined by a link 33 to a hand control lever 34. Naturally there is one hand control lever for each sleeve 28 to 31, although in Figure 6 3 only one lever 34 is shown, the rest being broken away in order to avoid confusion. The pilots seat is also indicated.

Each airplane unit 11 is rotated on a vertical spindle 36 by means of an air motor 37 to which air is supplied through a pipe 38 from a tank 39 under the control of a valve 40, which valve is controlled by a lever 41' whose operating rod 42 is attached to a bell crank lever 43 connected by the levers 44 to the upper end of its respective sleeve 28, so that a movement of one of the levers 34 will rock the lever 41 which will set the valve 40 to a forward, neutral or reverse position. The valve 40 is of the ordinary three-way variety which is well understood by the average mechanic.

Turning now to Figure 4, it will be seen that the1various units 11 are set in a direc tion of forward flight and that the various ma vertical spindles 36 must be rotated different amounts in orderto have the various units 11 occupy the positions shown in Figure 3,

namely that of taking off or landing. To one spindle 36 is attached a segment gear 45 which meshes with a pinion 46 on the motor 37/ The movement of the gear 45 is limited in both: directions by the resilient stops 47,

1 which may be of, any desired type, andQc'Ondegrees.

A second spindle 36 carries a segment gear "48 having more teeth than the gear "and meshing with a pinion 46 on the motor 37, The gear 48 is lilnited"in itsnnoveinent to ninety degrees of rotation bythe resilient stops 49,1 i v A third spindle "36carries a segment gear 50-whichhas more teeth than the gear 48 and meshes with the pinion 46 onthe motor 37.

Thegeareo is limited toone hundred fifty degrees-of rotation by means of the resilient stop 51 which lies in the planeof the gear 50 and the stop 52 which is: below the gear5O'v and engages a lug 53 which is secured'tothe gear 5 0(as shown in'Figure' 10). a I

f It will be noted that the sleeves'28' to 31 I are on theaxis of rotation between the frame 1 0 and the cabin 18 and that this position makesjit possible to transfer the motionb'etween the various sleeves 28 "to 31 and the" levers 44 ,atthe opposite endfthereof.

The elevators 13, rudders '14 and other necessary controls arenobtaine'd by the cables 54 whose ends are secured tothe rock levers 55 which are. operated in the same manner as is operated-the valvej40, namelythrongh the hand lever 34f Obviously, sultable rollers or sheaves 56 must be provided for the cables I54.

It W111 also be noted that in Figu're r the direction of rotation of the-variousspindles 36fis-not uniform, in order-that the various units may change theirrelation-from acircularpath vto a straight line by traversing the shortest possible circular route 'it' being noted that one unit turnsonly thirty degrees, while the second turns n 'ety and theth rd one hundred fifty.

It Will also be clear to anyone that numerous forms of mechanisms may be employed fo controlling the maneuvers of the various I units from a central position on theship,the type illustrated having beenselected as'best'cv adapted for the purpose, both from apoint of operation and illustration.

It will be seen that by this construction only, one pilot is required to maneuver the ship,; and that the movements. of the individual units are so synchronized'as to render the ships control a very simple matter, v

" {It will also be seen that it would be difficult for a human being to occupy one ofthe units 11, when it is borne in mind that the lift of this ship is dependent :uponits units line the movement of the gear 45 to'thirty traversing acircular path at a flying speed,

which 'VVOLIlCl make the centrifugal action very great. It is understood, of course, that the passengers ride in the cabin 18 which does not rotate in the air, whereas the frame 10 rotates with relation to the cabin 18, and the various units 11 are themselves capable of rotatingrwitli relation to the frame 10.

His obvious that the craft' seeures its great"stability from the gyra'tory action of the frame 10 which is revolving while taking off and while makinga landing; whereas 1n 'liightstability is provided by the uniformly distributed lifting action of the planes about its *gyratoryaxis and the' low center of gravity caused by the under slung position of the cabin. I. H

Itcan be seen that bythis "arrangement of controls there is a emplate unison of a'ction,

between the v'ariousiinits. all; working together to stabilize the'jship in'a inost'ideal manner.

Iclaim: a a 1; Aeennn control for air are pann d with a plurality of airplane units adapted to rotateiaround a common upright axiscojnsis'ting 'in' combination I of a "series or telescoping slides mounted albng"said axis 0f 1 l. i 1 ,11 H, "z ,5 l. rota tlon, means at oneendiof each of sa d slides for manually (v per-sting same," and connecting means at the opposite ends'of each of saidslides connected to the controlsfof said units' adapted to' contr'ol the flight conditionsth'er'eof. i c

v 2. A central control for air craft provided w'itha plurality of 'air plarie units adapted to "be flown ina' circular orbit or inastraightaway direction consisting ofaf plurality; of controls and opcrating connections between each airplane unit,"a central piloting posit1on, each of said controls having "a [portion thereof passing along the 'aXis :of rotation of said "ship and the axis of rotation a, of its respectiveairplane unit, and means fo r;'re-' volvingthei'iespective sunits on their verticalaxessimultaneously iiia manner to cause the first unit to move one third as far the second unit and one fifth'as far as'the third unit. f r i 8. Aflying machine'havin'g three airplane units disposed around a normally vertical axis eachcof saidunits having. mealis for mtatinga same m tten/zonal plate relative tothe remaining units in 'a manner that the first unit shall be remnant third asfmuch as the second 'iinit andone fifth as much as the third'unit, a, a l V i V v 4, A controlflying machines havingin combination a name an aptedto rebate about a' vertical axis, said frameh avingdisposed about the periphery thereof "three eq'ui-distant upright spindles, gearing for rotating said spindlesra mover for driving saidggearing, and ,stopmeans whereby one of said spindles shall be limited in its oman to one third the movement of a second spindle and one fifth the movement of the third spindle.

5. A flying machine having in combination a central control station, a plurality of separate airplane units disposed around said station, each of said units having a rotatable mounting whereby its direction with relation to the remaining units can be varied, the capacity of said units to rotate varying in the angular ratio of one, three and five for the purpose of enabling the respective units to assume a common position in Which all of the Wings are in parallel as infor- Ward flight or a radial position about a common central axis for circular flight, and means operable from the vicinity of said vertical axis for varying the vertical inclination of the individual units simultaneously. CHARLES E. GLESSNER. 

